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Things to do in Mansfield Ohio

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byCindy

There is a diverse selection of things to do in Mansfield Ohio. It is home to the Ohio State Reformatory where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed, and it is also where the first working robot, Elektro, was built.

vertical image with 4 photos from places in Mansfield: Kingwood Garden Center, Mansfield Art Center, Oak Hill Cottage, and Richland Carrousel Park. A white strip across the top has the text Things to Do in Mansfield Ohio

Map of Things to Do in Mansfield

About Mansfield Ohio

Mansfield is the county seat of Richland County, established in 1808, Mansfield sits on a fork of the Mohican River.

The landscape around Mansfield is hills and farmlands, and the city is a manufacturing center with many rail lines and good access via Interstate 71.

You can easily spend a weekend at Mansfield with historical, cultural, family-fun, and nature locations to visit, it is the ideal destination for everyone!

Cindy’s Insider Ohio Tips!

I love all the historical places to visit in Mansfield. You can spend a full day just learning about the area then and now! You could also spend the whole day shopping in Mansfield as it has an amazing variety of outlets, from antiques to the newest tech supplies! It is a very large city, and it’s a delight to see how proud it is of its past.

Historical Places to Visit in Mansfield

horizontal photo of oak hill cottage in Mansfield
Oak Hill Cottage Museum

Mansfield has many historical places to visit. You don’t have to love history to enjoy these attractions!

Ohio State Reformatory

Walk around the halls and visit the cells of the criminals that resided in the Ohio State Reformatory. Visit the Ohio State Corrections Museum within the Reformatory.

Tours available include a self-guided tour, guided tours, Hollywood Meets History Tour, Beyond the Bars Tour, and Shawshank Bus Tour.

The Ohio State Reformatory was originally called the ‘Intermediate Penitentiary’ as the inmates were too old for juvenile corrections, but their offenses were more minor than those in the Ohio State Penitentiary. The facility opened in 1896.

The term for all inmates was 18 months. If they didn’t show sufficient progress in that time, they were handed down another 18 months. This approach worked very well and there was a low rate of re-offenders.

In the early 60s, the state began converting the Ohio State Reformatory into a maximum security facility.

By the 1980s, the conditions had deteriorated so severely that the inmates successfully sued the state of Ohio. Construction began on a new facility nearby.

Eventually, local activists purchased the building from the state for $1 with the proviso that they repair and restore the historic structure.

The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society maintains and improves the building through charitable donations.

Shawshank Trail – Self-Guided Driving Tour

The Shawshank Self-Guided Driving Tour takes you to 15 locations where scenes from the film The Shawshank Redemption were shot.

You can decide your own order of visiting these sites, although you are given a recommended route, which is detailed in an online brochure.

The dropdown box below has the list of locations on the tour.

The Shawshank Self-Guided Driving Tour Locations

1. Shawshank Prison

Ohio State Reformatory – this was Maine’s fictional Shawshank State Prison in the film.

2. Brewer Hotel & Portland Daily Bugle

Bissman Building – this is where Brooks stayed and hanged himself after his parole.

3. Pawn Shop Window

Mansfield Antiques Gallery – this shop window held the compass that led Red to the oak tree.

4. Brook’s Bench

Central Park – the gazebo has replaced the original bench where Brooks fed the pigeons in the film. There is a replica green bench.

5. 1994 Movie Premiere

Renaissance Theatre – this is where the premiere showing of The Shawshank Redemption film took place in September 1994.

6. Food-Way

KV Market – after their parole, both Brooks and Red worked at this store, bagging groceries.

7. Road to Buxton

Corner of Snyder Rd & Hagerman Rd, Butler – the road red walked after hitching a ride in a red pickup truck.

8. Red’s Bus Ride

Hagerman Rd & Route 95, Butler – the route Red took on the Trailways Bus to Fork Hancock, Texas after his release.

9. Shawshank Oak Tree

Pleasant Valley Road – the oak tree in the film once stood at this point. High winds brought the tree down in 2011.

10. The Hollywood Connection

Malabar Farm State Park – learn about the real-life connections between Hollywood and this famous farm

11. Opening Scene

Pugh Cabin at Malabar Farm State Park – the opening scenes of the film in Pugh Cabin were filmed on this farm.

12. Maine National Bank

Crosby Advisory Group – Andy visits this bank toward the end of the movie. This is one of a dozen banks he visits, leaving with Warden Norton’s money amounting to $370,000.

13. Andy’s Conviction

Wyandot County Courthouse – this is where Andy’s trial and conviction took place in the movie.

14. Shawshank Woodshop

Woodshop – here they play Andy’s Mozart aria, in the place where Red said: “…every last man at Shawshank felt free.”

15. Zihuatanejo

Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge – Frederiksted, St Croix, US Virgin Islands – it is unlikely many will actually go here to end the tour, but it is officially part of it!

Renaissance Theatre

The Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield is owned and run by the Renaissance Performing Arts Association and provides programming in education, theatre, and music.

This theater seats 1,400 and is a beautiful step back in time. The restoration has been carried out very sympathetically, and it is probably little changed from its initial opening in 1928.

Originally called The Ohio Theatre, The Renaissance Theatre was built in 1928 as a movie house. It was successful, showing popular films as well as hosting live performers, for 20 years. The rise of television caused the popularity of theater to decline and the building fell into neglect.

In 1979, it was turned into an X-rated movie house that the local community objected to and protesters and activists forced the owners to close down.

In 1980, the Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant rented the theatre to hold their event. They spruced up the building and the competition was broadcast across the state of Ohio. This attracted the attention of many, realizing what a beautiful place it was.

Through the generosity of local philanthropists Fran and Warren Rupp, the Ohio Theatre was purchased and presented to the non-profit Renaissance Theatre, Inc.

The restoration began, and the name was changed. The building earned a place on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

In January 1997, the Renaissance Theatre merged with the Mansfield Symphony to create the Renaissance Performing Arts Association.

Theatre 166 was opened in 2018 in the building next door to the Renaissance Theatre. This is a Black Box style theatre with a state-of-the-art recording studio, rehearsal space, as well as classrooms.

BibleWalk

BibleWalk is Ohio’s only wax museum, featuring more than 300 wax figures in 100 life-size scenes. There are seven interactive tours available. Visitors can press buttons triggering sound effects and dialogue.

This museum was built entirely by the congregants of the adjacent Diamond Hill Cathedral.

The tours have a small charge. Exhibits are free and open to the public. Group rates are available, and an after-hours BibleWalk Glow for groups can be booked in advance.

  • Miracles of the Old Testament – 1 hour: Highlights Old Testament stories.
  • The Life of Christ – 1 hour: Features one of Madame Tussaud’s famous Last Supper re-creations.
  • Heart of the Reformation – 30 minutes: Features wax figures of John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Knox, and more.
  • Museum of Christian Martyrs – 30 minutes: Begins with Stephen and travels throughout history to present day.
  • The Journeys of Paul – 30 minutes: Features the life and teachings of apostle Paul.
  • Kingdom of God – 30 minutes: This tour is inspirational and educational.
  • Museum of Woodcarving: The largest collection of woodcarvings in the world created by one man.

Mansfield Memorial Museum

The Mansfield Memorial Museum, formerly the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, was founded in 1889 by Edward Wilkinson, a collector for the Smithsonian Institute, Carnegie Natural History Museum, and Peabody Field Museum.

Collections at the Mansfield Memorial Museum include major wars, natural history, public documents from Richland County and the City of Mansfield, and the industrial history of Mansfield.

Westinghouse was a manufacturer of appliances between 1918 and 1990. At its height, it employed more than 8,000 people. There is a collection of over 250 small Westinghouse appliances, including the ‘singing dryer’ and the first working robot, ‘Elektro’.

Martha Mansfield was born in 1899 and circumstances caused her family to move to Mansfield, Ohio. She got her break in silent films in 1917 and landed her first leading role in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1920.

Martha had a good singing voice and was also a good dancer. She was one of the most photographed women of her time. She made 33 films but only a few have survived.

The Mansfield Memorial Museum has a large archive of photos, posters, lobby cards, as well as personal items of Martha Mansfield’s.

In 1923, Martha met her untimely death in a fire. There is a strong possibility that had she lived, she would have transitioned to talking pictures.

Black History – Sarah Daisy Barker Thomas/Corley Collection

The Mansfield Memorial Museum has the single largest archive of one black family in Richland County. The collection showcases the history of black families in other counties as well, in documents and photos all donated by Dorothy Corley who dealt with Daisy’s Estate in 1971.

The collection ranges from pre-Civil War through to the 1930s. From slaves, Civil War veterans, to businessmen and women.

Research to expand this collection continues.

Oak Hill Cottage Museum

Oak Hill Cottage is a mid-nineteenth-century house in the Gothic revival style. Built by John Riley Robinson in 1847.

Dr. Johannes Jones purchased Oak Hill Cottage in 1864 and his family lived there until 1965 when the Richland County Historical Society purchased it and opened it as a house museum.

The house has been restored and preserved, and all the Victorian furnishings and artifacts in the house belonged to the Jones family.

Tours of the house are available and last approximately one hour and a gift shop is in the basement of the building.

The Mansfield Playhouse

The Mansfield Playhouse is the second oldest continuously-producing theater in the state of Ohio.

The schedule for the season is available on their website, and the schedule is for about seven months in advance. Tickets are also available online.

Originally called the Community Players, the Ohio Community Theater Association was formed in 1929. In the 1950s, Mansfield’s Little Theatre was formed – a volunteer group that performed three or four shows a year in the old washhouse behind the Children’s Home.

In the 1960s, the Community Players and Mansfield’s Little Theatre merged to form a single non-profit organization. They purchased the First Alliance Church building, and that remains the Mansfield Playhouse to this day.

The first production at the Mansfield Playhouse was Brigadoon in 1967. The audience sat in church pews, which were soon replaced by theater seats from Youngstown, Ohio. Drapes and chandeliers were purchased from the Leland Hotel just before it was demolished.

The Mansfield Fire Museum

The Mansfield Fire Museum is a reproduction of an early 20th-century Fire Station. There is an antique alarm bell that alerted the firemen, horse stables, pictures, and displays of firefighting equipment from the past.

Walk down part of North Main Street and visit an old-time drugstore with an authentic marble soda fountain.

Family Fun Things to Do in Mansfield

horizontal photo of the Richland Carrousel Park area with spring flowers in bloom in the foreground and a blue sky in the background

If you are visiting Mansfield with children, there are plenty of places to visit to keep them occupied and happy, as well as some fun for the grown-ups!

Buckeye Imagination Museum

The Buckeye Imagination Museum is an immersive children’s museum with over 40 interactive exhibits. The exhibits will enthrall children and also help parents and caregivers to see the world through the eyes of a child.

Interactive exhibits include a theater, a post office, a fire truck, a police station, and a grocery store.

Ohio Bird Sanctuary

Ohio Bird Sanctuary is a private non-profit organization that was originally called the Richland County Raptor Center. It was founded in 1988 and the birds were housed in a barn.

Today the Sanctuary is a haven for native birds, a nature preserve, as well as a living museum. There are four miles of trails through 90 acres of meadow and forest, a treehouse classroom, a Songbird Aviary, and live bird displays.

Richland Carrousel Park

Richland Carrousel Park was built in 1990 and is the first new hand-carved carousel to be built in the US since the 1930s.

The carousel features 30 horses and 22 menagerie figures, as well as chariots. Guarding the entrance are two bronze horses which were put in place in 2003.

Richland Carrousel Park is wheelchair accessible. The horse in front of each of the chariots swivel, and the chariot seat flips up to accommodate a wheelchair.

Kelly’s Dairy Bar and Miniature Golf

At Kelly’s there is a driving range as well as a colorful mini golf course. A fun day out for the whole family!

Kelly’s Dairy Bar has a huge menu. Choices include:

  • Small set meal consisting of a half sandwich, side dish, and a drink.
  • Deep-fried treats such as chicken nuggets, mozzarella cheese sticks, and onion rings.
  • Fresh baked subs – 8-inch pizza sub or 8-inch Italian sub.
  • A variety of hot dogs, including corn dogs, jumbo kraut dogs, and sloppy dogs.
  • 14 or 9-inch pizza selection (or choose your own toppings).
  • Hot sandwiches such as hamburger, mushroom Swiss, chicken tender, and pulled pork.
  • Cold sandwiches include fillings: homemade chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad.
  • Baskets include fries and a drink – chicken tender basket, fish & chips basket, and more choices.
  • You can indulge in Toft’s hand-dipped ice cream, soft-serve ice cream, ice cream sandwich, and many more sweet treats.
  • A variety of soft drinks are also available.

Shady Lane Alpacas

Shady Lane Alpacas is a working Alpaca farm that showcases alpacas and their fibers. Visitors can tour the alpaca barn as well as the store.

Exithis

Exithis offers escape room adventures. Various rooms with a range of difficulty levels. Choose your adventure wisely! This is not really for children, but it is lots of fun!

  • Assassin’s Apartment | Difficulty 9/10 Escape and identify the assassin.
  • Oval Office | Difficulty 8/10 Save the president and your country.
  • House of Doors | Difficulty 6/10 Beat this real-life video game.

Battle Zone Paintball Park

This park is a safe, friendly, and fun-filled environment that provides a good time for everyone! Battle Zone Paintball has 6 battlefields.  It has a 2 story wood fort course, a speedball field, a village urban-assault course, a full military field with AirPlane, Jeep, and more, a castle, and a minefield! 

B&O Bike Trail

The B&O Bike Trail follows the route of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line, Indianapolis to Springfield, Illinois. It is still a work in progress.

This bike trail in Richland County spans 18.4 miles, connecting four communities. Along this trail, you will go across 18 bridges, past open fields, and through Kingswood Center Gardens.

Take as long as you like on this trail, there are plenty of places to stop and visit. You will travel through Butler, Belville, Lexington, and Mansfield.

Note: the Bellville, Butler, and Lexington libraries offer a variety of bikes for you to ride with a valid MRCPL library card.

Mansfield Art Center

Mansfield Art Center showcases the works of thousands of professional artists, including local and regional artists.

The Education Wing offers classes in glassblowing, stained glass, drawing, painting, ceramics, 3D printing, design technology, and more.

More Fun Places to Visit in Mansfield

Nature Parks and Preserves in Mansfield

There are a lot of places to enjoy nature in Mansfield. Ohio in general has a lot of nature locations, and Mansfield is no exception!

horizontal photo of Kingwood Center Garden showing a well manicured lawn with the hall in the background
Kingwood Center Gardens

Kingwood Center Gardens

At Kingwood Center Gardens, Kingwood Hall has five levels, including a basement, three living levels, and a full attic. The Hall is open for scheduled guided tours.

The Gardens contain The Allee, with beautiful seasonal displays; The Display Greenhouse, individual houses with tropicals, succulents, bromeliads, and seasonal arrangements; The Perennial Garden, Mr King’s Formal Gardens, Terrace Garden, Woodland Garden, and Herb, Rose, as well as Trial Gardens where the gardeners trial new plants.

There is also the Courtyard Complex, the Duck Pond, the Nature Pond, Peacock Playhouse: The Kingwood Sensory Center, and the Storybook Trail.

There is an interactive Garden map, and a downloadable Garden map available.

Malabar Farm State Park

Malabar Farm State Park is nearly 1,000 acres and is located in the rolling foothills of Ohio. It was the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and conservationist Louis Bromfield.

At Malabar Farm you can have a wagon tour, house tour, cabin rental, and primitive camping is also available. 

There are four trails at Malabar Farm State Park:

  • Butternut Trail | 0.8 miles | Easy
  • Doris Duke Woods Trail | 1 mile | Easy
  • Jungle Brook Trail | 0.7 miles | Easy
  • Pleasant Valley Bridle Trail | 7 miles | Bridle trail (hiking is permitted)

Gorman Nature Center

Gorman Nature Center is owned and managed by the Richland County Park District. It features 150 acres of forest, prairies, ponds, and streams.

There are over five miles of trails as well as weekly programs for the public featuring hikes, field trips, and natural history programs.

In the winter cross country skiing is available.

Fowler Woods State Nature Preserve

This nature preserve is one of the best places in Ohio to see wildflowers in spring, as well as many nesting birds, such as Redstart, Red-Headed Woodpecker, and Ovenbird.

Fowler Woods covers an area of 187 acres and is the only state nature preserve in Richland County.

Hike through woodlands with wildlife, an old-growth beech-maple forest, vernal ponds, and a buttonbush swamp, where you can see tree frogs, salamanders, and non-venomous snakes.

The trail is a 1.4-mile loop trail taking an average of 25 minutes to complete. The hike is completely boardwalk, so is wheelchair and stroller-friendly.

Fowler Woods State Nature Preserve is open year-round, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Dogs are not permitted and there are no facilities or picnic areas here.

  • Address: 7815 Olivesburg-Fitchville Rd, Greenwich, Ohio 44837
  • Website

Charles Mill Lake Park

Charles Mill Lake Park is on 2,000 acres spread across Richland and Ashland Counties. Features of this park are the Charles Mill Dam which was constructed in 1935-36 on the Black Fork Creek for flood control; Charles Mill Lake covers an area of 1,350 acres and provides fishing, sailing, and boating opportunities.

There are two campgrounds with a total of 457 campsites, all of which have a picnic table as well as a fire ring. Some campsites have a 30-amp electrical service.

Three patio cabins are available, they do not have running water or restrooms, however, facilities are nearby.

  • Full-size basketball court near the beach
  • Public swimming beach (pets not permitted)
  • Swimming pool at Eagle Point Campground
  • Horseshoe pits by the beach and in both parks
  • Bocce ball court
  • Shuffleboard court
  • 9-hole Frisbee golf course near the beach
  • Fishing (Ohio Fishing License is necessary)
  • Boating
  • Playgrounds

Donaldson Hiking Trail

2.6 miles | Hike | Dogs | Dirt | Moderate

This 2.6-mile loop trail is moderately challenging and can be muddy. It is a great trail for birding, hiking, and running. Dogs on a leash are welcome.

More Parks in the Mansfield Area

Let’s Visit Mansfield Ohio!

Have you visited Mansfield? Did you come across some great places that we haven’t listed here? We would love to know! Leave a comment below and share your experience.

Looking for more things to do in Ohio? Check out our article about Caves in Ohio, or for some great family experiences, Things to Do in Ohio With Kids can point you in the right direction. Things to Do in Berlin explores the heart of Amish Country.

Hello! We have done our very best to ensure that the accuracy of events, hours, addresses, etc are up to date. Please know that information can change due to weather, updated health and safety challenges, etc. If you find incorrect information, please send us an email at [email protected] and we can get it updated.

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Cindy Gordon, the owner of VisitOhioToday.com, is a passionate Ohioan with a deep love for her state's rich cultural heritage and natural beauty. Her mission is to showcase Ohio's hidden gems and major tourist attractions through her website, offering visitors a comprehensive guide to all the wonders the Buckeye State has to offer. With a wealth of experience as a seasoned small business owner in the media industry, Cindy also manages four other websites in the food space, demonstrating her commitment to sharing her expertise and enthusiasm with a wider audience. Through her dedication, Cindy has become a trusted source for anyone looking to explore Ohio's diverse and vibrant offerings.

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